Zinester’s Guide to PDX, 5th Ed!

November 15, 2011

Billed as a “low/no budget guide to visiting and living in Portland, Oregon, the Zinester’s Guide to Portland breaks down the PDX grid by neighborhood with descriptions of good restaurants, thrift stores, bars, bridges, places to loiter, etc. (lots of etc.). The newly overhauled and illustrated fifth edition gets shoulder-deep into the history and local lore, providing a well-rounded argument as to why (fill in the blank) deserves your time. It also demystifies the TriMet public transportation system, bike events and culture, outdoorsy stuff, the public libraries—basically anything you need to know as the new kid in town. (Of which there seems to be tons; the Zinester’s Guide has been on Powell’s Books’ top 20 since 2006.) To the wrong eyes the book’s title might imply a guide to Portland zine culture, but as editor Shawn Granton says in the introduction, the Zinester’s Guide is not just for zinesters, that “It’s always been about sharing the interesteng and unique things that make Stumptown great, and also helping people get by that aren’t swimming in scads of money.” For those of us that can’t so much as dogpaddle most days, this is “community” at its mightiest.

is not just for zinesters, that “It’s always been about sharing the interesteng and unique things that make Stumptown great, and also helping people get by that aren’t swimming in scads of money.” For those of us that can’t so much as dogpaddle most days, this is “community” at its mightiest.